U.S. patent number 7,430,482 [Application Number 11/315,439] was granted by the patent office on 2008-09-30 for waveform recorder apparatus and method.
This patent grant is currently assigned to General Electric Company. Invention is credited to Geoff Butland, Mark Culler, John J. Dougherty, Michael S. Tignor, Craig Benjamin Williams.
United States Patent |
7,430,482 |
Butland , et al. |
September 30, 2008 |
Waveform recorder apparatus and method
Abstract
A waveform recorder device for mounting to an electronic circuit
breaker having an electronic trip unit and a communication port is
disclosed. The device includes a connector configured to connect
with the communication port, and a processing circuit in signal
communication with the connector. The processing circuit is
responsive to instructions which, when executed by the processing
circuit, facilitate responding to a conditional signal received
from the circuit breaker, and in response thereto recording
waveform information arising from an additional signal received
from the circuit breaker.
Inventors: |
Butland; Geoff (Farmington,
CT), Tignor; Michael S. (Watertown, CT), Dougherty; John
J. (Collegeville, PA), Williams; Craig Benjamin (Avon,
CT), Culler; Mark (Prospect, KY) |
Assignee: |
General Electric Company
(Schenectady, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
38173157 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/315,439 |
Filed: |
December 21, 2005 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20070139845 A1 |
Jun 21, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
702/66;
702/57 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01H
71/123 (20130101); H02H 3/50 (20130101); H02H
1/0053 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
19/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;361/93.2
;702/57,66 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Barlow, Jr.; John E.
Assistant Examiner: Washburn; Douglas N
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Cantor Colburn LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A waveform recorder device for mounting to an electronic circuit
breaker having an electronic trip unit and a communication port,
the device comprising: a connector configured to connect with the
communication port; and a processing circuit in signal
communication with the connector, the processing circuit being
responsive to instructions which, when executed by the processing
circuit facilitate: responding to a conditional signal received
from the circuit breaker, and in response thereto transferring data
stored in a first memory in a circular queue fashion to a second
memory, the data representing waveform information arising from an
additional signal received from the circuit breaker, and stopping
the storing of data in the first memory in response to the
conditional signal.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein: the additional signal received
from the circuit breaker is analog.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein: the additional signal received
from the circuit breaker is digital.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein: the additional signal received
from the circuit breaker comprises a plurality of additional
signals representative of current in a single-pole circuit breaker,
a two-pole circuit breaker, a three-pole circuit breaker, or a
four-pole switching neutral circuit breaker.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein: the conditional signal is a trip
signal or a current threshold signal.
6. A waveform recorder device for mounting to an electronic circuit
breaker having an electronic trip unit and a communication port,
the circuit breaker or electronic trip unit capable of providing to
the communication port a first signal representative of a primary
current passing through the circuit breaker, and a second signal
representative of a conditional event at the circuit breaker, the
device comprising: a connector configured to connect with the
communication port; a processing circuit in signal communication
with the connector; and a memory in signal communication with the
processing circuit; wherein the processing circuit is responsive to
executable instructions, which when executed by the processing
circuit facilitates: sampling the first signal; storing in the
memory in a circular queue fashion information relating to the
first signal; and stopping the storing in the memory in response to
the second signal.
7. The device of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further
responsive to executable instructions, which when executed by the
processing circuit, facilitates: freezing the memory in response to
the circular queue being full.
8. The device of claim 6, further comprising: a second memory in
signal communication with the processing circuit; wherein the
processing circuit is further responsive to executable
instructions, which when executed by the processing circuit,
facilitates: transferring data from the first memory to the second
memory in response to the second signal.
9. The device of claim 8, wherein: the first memory comprises read
access memory, and the second memory comprises non-volatile
memory.
10. The device of claim 8, wherein the first signal is an analog
signal, and further wherein: the processing circuit comprises an
analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the first signal
and to convert the first signal from analog to digital.
11. The device of claim 8, wherein: each cycle of the circular
queue of the first memory contains at least 100 millisecond of data
relating to the primary current of a phase of the circuit
breaker.
12. The device of claim 8, wherein: the processing circuit is
further responsive to executable instructions, which when executed
by the processing circuit, facilitates: in response to the second
signal, stopping the sampling of the first signal, and stopping the
storing of data in the first memory.
13. The device of claim 12, wherein the stopping the sampling of
the first signal comprises: stopping the sampling of the first
signal such that only pre-conditional-event data is stored in the
first memory and subsequently transferred from the first memory to
the second memory in response to the second signal.
14. The device of claim 12, wherein the stopping the sampling of
the first signal comprises: stopping the sampling of the first
signal subsequent to a time delay such that pre-conditional-event
data and post-conditional-event data is stored in the first memory
and subsequently transferred from the first memory to the second
memory in response to the second signal.
15. The device of claim 14, wherein the time delay is about 20
milliseconds.
16. The device of claim 12, wherein: the processing circuit is
further responsive to executable instructions, which when executed
by the processing circuit, facilitates: in response to the second
signal and subsequent to the transferring of data from the first
memory to the second memory, automatically rearming itself to again
sample the first signal and store in the first memory in a circular
queue fashion information relating to the first signal.
17. The device of claim 8, wherein: the second memory comprises a
plurality of data storage registers, each register configured to
store one transfer of data from the first memory to the second
memory in response to the second signal, thereby providing for
storage at the second memory of a plurality of data transfers.
18. The device of claim 8, further comprising: a battery in power
communication with the processing circuit; and a regulator for
regulating the voltage of the battery; wherein the processing
circuit is further responsive to executable instructions, which
when executed by the processing circuit, facilitates: turning the
battery off in response to the second memory being full.
19. The device of claim 16, further comprising: a battery in power
communication with the processing circuit; and a regulator for
regulating the voltage of the battery; wherein the processing
circuit is further responsive to executable instructions, which
when executed by the processing circuit, facilitates: leaving the
battery on in response to the processing circuit being configured
to automatically rearm itself.
20. The device of claim 19, further comprising: a pushbutton in
signal communication with the regulator; wherein the processing
circuit is further responsive to executable instructions, which
when executed by the processing circuit, facilitates: turning the
battery off in response to the processing circuit being configured
for manual rearming following events responsive to a second signal;
and turning the regulator on in response to the pushbutton being
pulsed, and turning the battery on in response to the regulatory
being turned on.
21. The device of claim 8, further comprising: a visual indicator
in signal communication with the processing circuit, the visual
indicator configured to operate in a first mode in response to data
being recorded at the first memory, and in a second mode in
response to a second signal.
22. The device of claim 8, further comprising: a data extraction
port in signal communication with the processing circuit for
extracting data from the second memory for analysis at a location
other than the circuit breaker.
23. The device of claim 22, wherein: the data extraction port
comprises a proprietary connection port, a serial port, a universal
serial bus port, a radio frequency wireless communication port, an
infrared wireless communication port, or any combination comprising
at least one of the foregoing; and at least one of the foregoing
ports is suitable for extracting data from the second memory to a
desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal device assistant, a
peripheral memory device, the Internet, a network computer, or any
combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.
24. The device of claim 8, wherein: the conditional event is a trip
event at the circuit breaker.
25. A waveform recorder device for mounting to an electronic
circuit breaker having an electronic trip unit with a first
communication port, the electronic trip unit capable of providing
to the first communication port a first signal representative of a
primary current passing through the circuit breaker, and a second
signal representative of a trigger for nipping the circuit breaker,
the device comprising: a second communication port configured to
communicate with the first communication port, and a processing
circuit in signal communication with the second communication port,
the processing circuit having circular queue memory and
non-volatile memory; wherein the processing circuit is responsive
to executable instructions, which when executed by the processing
circuit, facilitates: sampling the first signal, and storing in the
circular queue memory information relating to the first signal; and
in response to the second signal, transferring data from the
circular queue memory to the non-volatile memory.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure relates generally to electronic circuit
breakers, and particularly to a waveform recorder device for use
with electronic circuit breakers.
Transient conditions on electrical distribution networks can cause
hard to explain events. Electronic circuit breakers having
electronic trip units with limited functionality may not include
integral functions or options that provide monitoring functions
capable of monitoring for these transient conditions. Accordingly,
unusual events that occur within the electrical distribution
network may go undiagnosed or even unnoticed. One solution to this
problem is to rent line reading and recording equipment that is
capable of monitoring, capturing and preserving transient
conditions, then have specialized personnel install the equipment,
and then have specialized personnel analyze the captured data.
However, not only is this line recording equipment bulky, taking up
valuable real estate in an installed application, difficult to
attach to existing circuit breaker devices, or difficult to
interface with existing electrical distribution networks, but the
cost and inconvenience may be a deterrent that typically reserves
the use of such equipment to only limited situations.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a low cost, compact,
ease of use, waveform recorder device that may be quickly installed
and interfaced with an electrical distribution network.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the invention includes a waveform recorder device
for mounting to an electronic circuit breaker having an electronic
trip unit and a communication port. The device includes a connector
configured to connect with the communication port, and a processing
circuit in signal communication with the connector. The processing
circuit is responsive to instructions which, when executed by the
processing circuit, facilitate responding to a conditional signal
received from the circuit breaker, and in response thereto
recording waveform information arising from an additional signal
received from the circuit breaker.
Another embodiment of the invention includes a waveform recorder
device for mounting to an electronic circuit breaker having an
electronic trip unit and a communication port. The circuit breaker
or electronic trip unit is capable of providing to the
communication port a first signal representative of a primary
current passing through the circuit breaker, and a second signal
representative of a conditional event at the circuit breaker. The
device includes a connector configured to connect with the
communication port, a processing circuit in signal communication
with the connector, and a memory in signal communication with the
processing circuit. The processing circuit is responsive to
executable instructions, which when executed by the processing
circuit, facilitates sampling the first signal, storing in the
memory in a circular queue fashion information relating to the
first signal, and stopping the storing in the memory in response to
the second signal.
A further embodiment of the invention includes a waveform recorder
device for mounting to an electronic circuit breaker having an
electronic trip unit with a first communication port, the
electronic trip unit being capable of providing to the first
communication port a first signal representative of a primary
current passing through the circuit breaker, and a second signal
representative of a trigger for tripping the circuit breaker. The
device includes a second communication port configured to
communicate with the first communication port, and a processing
circuit in signal communication with the second communication port,
the processing circuit having circular queue memory and
non-volatile memory. The processing circuit is responsive to
executable instructions, which when executed by the processing
circuit, facilitates sampling the first signal, storing in the
circular queue memory information relating to the first signal, and
in response to the second signal, transferring data from the
circular queue memory to the non-volatile memory.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring to the exemplary drawings wherein like elements are
numbered alike in the accompanying Figures:
FIG. 1 depicts a side view of an exemplary electronic circuit
breaker for use in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
and
FIG. 2 depicts a schematic of an exemplary waveform recorder device
in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the invention provides a waveform recorder device
(WRD) configured to plug into an electronic trip unit (ETU) of an
electronic circuit breaker for recording a time window of phase
current information in response to a trip event at the circuit
breaker. The WRD utilizes existing signals present at the ETU, and
therefore requires no additional current transformers (CTs) of its
own. Data from the WRD may be communicated to a local computer,
communicated to a network computer, uploaded to an Internet
service, or transported or mailed to a service center for analysis.
While the embodiment described herein depicts a particular circuit
breaker configuration, it will be appreciated that the disclosed
invention is not so limited, and may be applied to any type of
electronic circuit breaker. It is also contemplated that
embodiments of the invention may be applicable to any electrical
distribution device capable of generating a signal representative
of phase current and another signal representative of a conditional
event, such as a trip trigger.
Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of an electronic
circuit breaker 100 is depicted having a housing 105, a conduction
path 110, a current transformer (CT) 115, an operating mechanism
120, an electronic trip unit (ETU) 125, and a trip actuator 130.
The operating mechanism 120 serves to open and close the conduction
path 110 via a linkage arrangement 135 and a contact arm
arrangement 140. The CT 115 provides both power and a current
signal via signal pins 145 to ETU 125, which includes a circuit
board 150 in signal communication with the CT pins 145. A rating
plug 155 is in signal communication with ETU 125 via connectors
160, and serves to configure the ampere rating of the circuit
breaker 100 via burden resistors 165 on a second circuit board 170
contained therein. The ETU 125 via circuit board 150 monitors the
level of current passing through the circuit breaker 100 and in
response to an over current condition, provides a trip signal via
pins 175 to trip actuator 130. In turn, trip actuator 130 via a
mechanical logic path 180, causes the operating mechanism 120 to
trip and open the contact arm arrangement 140. As a result of the
configuration of circuit breaker 100, more specifically ETU 125 and
rating plug 155, current signal information and trip signal
information is available at the second circuit board 170 via the
burden resistors 165.
FIG. 1 also depicts a waveform recorder device (WRD) 185 mounted to
and in signal communication with the rating plug 155 via a
connector 190 that is in signal communication with second circuit
board 170. The rating plug 155 has a communication port 195 in
which the connector 190 is plugged. Other mounting means (not
shown) may be used to secure WRD 185 to rating plug 155, ETU 125,
or circuit breaker housing 105, such as by using screws for
example. In an embodiment, communication port 195 is an existing
test kit jack already available in an installed base of circuit
breakers 100.
Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary schematic of WRD 185 is
depicted having connector 190 suitably disposed for connection with
communication port 195 of ETU 125. In an embodiment, WRD 185 has a
processing circuit 200 that is in signal communication with
connector 190 via signal lines 205. In an embodiment, signal lines
205 include A, B and C-phase current signal lines 206, 207, 208,
respectively, that carry information relating to the current level
in the A, B and C-phase of circuit breaker 100, and an actuator
signal line 209 that carries information relating to a conditional
event, such as a trip event (also herein referred to as a trigger
event), or a current threshold event (also herein referred to as a
current set point), at circuit breaker 100. Isolation resistors 210
are employed in signal lines 205 to protect the processing circuit
200 from excessive voltage spikes. While three signal lines 206,
207, 208 are illustrated for a three-pole circuit breaker, it will
be appreciated that this is for illustration purposes only, and
that the scope of the invention also includes use of the
appropriate number of signal lines to accommodate single-pole
circuit breakers, two-pole circuit breakers, and four-pole
switching neutral circuit breakers.
In an embodiment, processing circuit 200 includes a first memory
215 and a second memory 220. However, in another embodiment, only
first memory 215 may be present. In an embodiment, first memory 215
is read access memory (RAM), and second memory 220 is non-volatile
memory (NVM), which may be configured as flash memory.
Analog-to-digital (A/D) converters 225 at the input to processing
circuit 200 converts the analog current signals on signal lines
206, 207, 208 to digital form for processing thereof. In an
alternative embodiment, the A/D converters may be located at the
ETU 125 or rating plug 155. Accordingly, WRD 185 may be responsive
to analog or digital signals arising from the ETU 125 or rating
plug 155. The processing circuit 200 is responsive to executable
instructions, which when executed by the processing circuit 200,
facilitates the sampling of a current signal (also herein referred
to as a first signal) on each of current signal lines 106, 207,
208, facilitates the storing in the first memory in a circular
queue fashion information relating to the first signal, and
facilitates the transferring of data from the first memory to the
second memory in response to a conditional event signal, which may
be a trip signal, or a current threshold signal such as a current
set point (this conditional event signal is also herein referred to
as a second signal). In an embodiment having only the first memory
215, the processing circuit 200 may be configured to freeze the
first memory 215 in response to the circular queue being full and
upon receiving an event signal. As used herein, the term circular
queue refers to a repetitive process whereby memory is continually
over-written with a set of data. Here, the set of data refers to
current signals over a window of time (a cycle), wherein the
(ith+1) window of time starts at the end of the (itch) window of
time, and so on. In an embodiment, the window of time is 100
milliseconds for each of three or four phases of current; however,
other time windows may be applicable and are herein contemplated,
such as equal to or greater than 20 milliseconds and equal to or
less than 200 milliseconds, for example.
For example, during acquiescent current flow through circuit
breaker 100, processing circuit 200 continually samples the current
signals on signal lines 206, 207, 208, and stores the sampled data
in first memory 215. This sampling and storing occurs for a defined
time window, such as 100 milliseconds for example, at the end of
which, the process is repeated. In response to a trip signal on
actuator signal line 209, this sampling and storing process is
stopped, followed by processing circuit 200 transferring the data
in first memory 215 to second memory 220. In an embodiment, second
memory is configured with a plurality of data storage registers,
with each register being configured to store one transfer of data
from first memory 215, thereby providing for storage at second
memory 220 of a plurality of data transfers, with each data
transfer being arranged sequentially.
In an embodiment, processing circuit 200 is responsive to
executable instructions that cause the processing circuit 200 to
stop the sampling of the first signal immediately following a
conditional event, such that only pre-conditional-event data is
stored in the first memory 215 and then subsequently transferred
from the first memory 215 to the second memory 220. In this manner,
only phase current data occurring just prior to the conditional
event is available for subsequent analysis.
In another embodiment, processing circuit 200 is responsive to
executable instructions that cause the processing circuit 200 to
stop the sampling of the first signal subsequent to a time delay
following a conditional event, such that pre-conditional-event data
and post-conditional-event data is stored in the first memory 215
and subsequently transferred from the first memory 215 to the
second memory 220. In this manner, phase current data occurring
just prior to and just subsequent to the conditional event is
available for subsequent analysis. In an embodiment, the time delay
is 20 milliseconds, however, other time delays may be employed and
are herein contemplated.
In an embodiment, WRD 185 is configured to be self-rearming. That
is, in response to a second signal (conditional event) and
subsequent to the transferring of data from the first memory 215 to
the second memory 220, processing circuit 200 is programmed to
automatically rearm itself so that it continues to sample the first
signal on signal lines 206, 207, 208, and to store in first memory
215 in a circular queue fashion information relating to the first
signal, thereby preparing itself for another data transfer
following another conditional event.
In an embodiment, WRD 200 also includes a battery 230, such as a
3-Volt battery for example, for powering the processing circuit
200, and a regulator 235, such as a 1.8-Volt regulator for example,
for regulating the voltage of the battery 230. In an embodiment,
the processing circuit is programmed to turn the battery 230 off in
response to the second memory 220 being full, or in response to a
conditional event where the WRD 185 is configured to be manually
rearmed, which will be discussed in more detail below. In another
embodiment, the processing circuit 200 is programmed to leave the
battery 230 on when the processing circuit 200 is configured to
automatically rearm itself, as discussed above.
In an embodiment, and as mentioned above, WRD 185 may be configured
to be manually rearmed by using a pushbutton 240. When the
processing circuit 200 is powered down, such as when the battery
230 is turned off as discussed above, depressing the pushbutton 240
causes the regulator 235 to be pulsed, which turns the regulator on
sufficiently to wake up the processing circuit 200. Once the
processing circuit 200 is awake, its internal programming causes
the battery 230 to turn on. In this manner, a powered down WRD 185
may be manually rearmed following a conditional event by depressing
the pushbutton 240.
To aid a user in knowing what state of operation the WRD 185 is in,
an embodiment is provided with a visual indicator 245, such as a
LED for example, which is in signal communication with the
processing circuit 200. In response to first signal data being
sampled and stored (recorded) at first memory 215, processing
circuit 200 is configured to operate the visual indicator 245 in a
first mode, such as flashing light mode, and in response to a
conditional event being received on actuator signal line 209,
processing circuit 200 is configured to operate the visual
indicator 245 in a second mode, such as light on mode.
An embodiment of WRD 185 includes a data extraction port 250 that
is in signal communication with the processing circuit 200, and is
configured for extracting data from the second memory 220 for
analysis at a location other than the circuit breaker 100. Data
extraction port 250 may be a proprietary connection port, a serial
port, a universal serial bus port, a radio frequency wireless
communication port, an infrared wireless communication port, any
other port suitable for the purposes disclosed herein, or any
combination thereof. Such a port may be used for extracting data
from the second memory 220 to an external device 255, such as a
desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal device assistant, a
peripheral memory device, the Internet, a network computer, or any
combination thereof. In this manner, waveform data of the phase
current at circuit breaker 100 occurring proximate in time to a
conditional event (pre-conditional-event data only or pre- and
post-conditional-event data) may be analyzed for an indication of
what may have caused the conditional event to occur.
In addition to the foregoing description, embodiments of the
invention may include other user interfaces, such as a first switch
260 that enables a user to switch between automatic rearming mode
and manual rearming mode, and a second switch 265 that enables a
user to switch between pre-conditional-event data capture only, or
pre- and post-conditional-event data capture, which may be
accomplished by dialing in a delay time, discussed above, from zero
milliseconds to a defined threshold, such as the aforementioned 20
milliseconds for examples.
In an embodiment, the main components of WRD 185 may reside on a
small single circuit board and may include just a single
microprocessor and a small number of analog components. One such
microprocessor contemplated for processing circuit 200 is MSP430
available from Texas Instruments, Inc.
In view of the foregoing structural description, it will be
appreciated that the WRD 185 provides a method for recording and
having analyzed waveform data associated with an electronic circuit
breaker 100 having an ETU 125, the ETU 125 having a communication
port 195 and being capable of providing to the communication port
195 a first signal representative of a phase current passing
through the circuit breaker 100, and a second signal representative
of a conditional event, such as a trigger for tripping the circuit
breaker 100. By connecting the WRD 185 to the communication port
195, a user can facilitate the recording of, in a first memory 215
and in a circular queue fashion, information relating to the first
signal, and in response to a second signal received from the ETU
125, the transferring of data from the first memory 215 to the
second memory 220 is facilitated.
By connecting a peripheral device 255 to the data extraction port
250 of the WRD 185, a user can facilitate the extraction of data
from the second memory 220 to the peripheral device 255. In the
event that the peripheral device 255 is a data storage device, the
user can facilitate the transporting, via mail or other means 270,
of the data storage device to a service center 275 for analysis of
the data contained thereon. In the event that the peripheral device
255 is an Internet communication device, the user can facilitate
the uploading of the data from the second memory 220 to an Internet
service facility for analysis of the data from the second memory
220.
In an embodiment, and by the selection of an appropriately
configured WRD 185 or by the operation of first switch 260, a user
can facilitate the automatic rearming of WRD 185, wherein in
response to a second signal and subsequent to the transferring of
data from first memory 215 to second memory 220, the WRD 185
automatically rearms itself in preparation to again sample the
first signal and store in first memory 215 in a circular queue
fashion information relating to the first signal.
In another embodiment, and by the selection of an appropriately
configured WRD 185 or by operation of first switch 260, a user can
facilitate the manual rearming of a WRD 185, which has been turned
off, by pressing the pushbutton 240 that pulses the regulator 235
that causes the WRD 185 to turn the battery 230 on.
In an embodiment, and by the selection of an appropriately
configured WRD 185 or by the operation of second switch 265, a user
can facilitate, in response to the second signal, stopping the
sampling of the first signal such that only pre-trigger data is
stored in the first memory 215, which is subsequently transferred
from the first memory 215 to second memory 220 in response to the
second signal. Alternatively, a user can facilitate, in response to
the second signal, stopping the sampling of the first signal
subsequent to a time delay such that pre-trigger data and
post-trigger data is stored in first memory 215, which is
subsequently transferred from first memory 215 to second memory 220
in response to the second signal.
Viewed in an alternative way, the WRD 185 provides a method for
recording and having analyzed waveform data associated with an
electronic circuit breaker 100, by enabling a user to facilitate
the recording at the WRD 185 a set of data relating to a phase
current at the circuit breaker 185, each recording of the set of
data being temporally proximate a trip event at the circuit breaker
100, and by enabling a user to facilitate the extraction of the set
of data from the WRD 185 to a data storage device 255 for analysis
at a remote location.
In an alternative embodiment, it is contemplated that the WRD 185
could be offered to an end user with application software,
proprietary or open, thereby enabling the end user to upload the
stored data to a local computer for local analysis. Graphical
display features and analytical functions are contemplated as being
part of the application software. The data could also be formatted
in a portable document format for use on devices with Internet
browser software.
While certain combinations of components of WRD 185 have been
described herein, it will be appreciated that these certain
combinations are for illustration purposes only and that any
combination of any of the components of WRD 185 may be employed in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Any and all such
combinations are contemplated herein and are considered within the
scope of the invention disclosed.
An embodiment of the invention may be embodied in the form of
computer-implemented processes and apparatuses for practicing those
processes. The present invention may also be embodied in the form
of a computer program product having computer program code
containing instructions embodied in tangible media, such as floppy
diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, USB (universal serial bus) drives,
non-volatile memory, or any other computer readable storage medium,
wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into and executed
by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the
invention. The present invention may also be embodied in the form
of computer program code, for example, whether stored in a storage
medium, loaded into and/or executed by a computer, or transmitted
over some transmission medium, such as over electrical wiring or
cabling, through fiber optics, or via electromagnetic radiation,
wherein when the computer program code is loaded into and executed
by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the
invention. When implemented on a general-purpose microprocessor,
the computer program code segments configure the microprocessor to
create specific logic circuits. A technical effect of the
executable instructions is to facilitate the recording at a
waveform recorder device a set of data relating to a phase current
at the circuit breaker, each recording of the set of data being
temporally proximate a trip event at the circuit breaker, the
recording being useful for subsequent analysis of transient
events.
As disclosed, some embodiments of the invention may include some of
the following advantages: a powerful diagnostic tool for electronic
circuit breakers; a low cost diagnostic tool for electronic circuit
breakers; the ability to switch between different operational modes
depending on the application demands; the ability to record and
later analyze transient current conditions proximate a trip event;
the ability to capture line current data without having to rent
line recording instrumentation; utilization of existing circuit
breaker CTs and dynamic voltages on existing CT burden resistors
offer a low cost solution absent a need for additional dedicated
CTs; the ability to extract recorded data to a memory device for
mailing to a service center for analysis, or to extract and upload
recorded data to an Internet service for analysis, thereby
providing for a very low cost waveform recorder device having very
limited user interface functions; the ability to record real time
currents with A/D converters; the ability to record the phase
current data using a higher binary and interval resolution than the
ETU; the ability to extract trigger criteria from the recorded
data; the ability to capture both pre-trigger and post-trigger
data; the ability to install in low cost applications due to the
low cost of the waveform recorder device itself, thereby enabling
the diagnosis of unusual electrical events; the ability to apply
embodiments of the invention on an installed base of circuit
breakers since the communication port used by the waveform recorder
device is an existing test kit jack already available in an
installed base of electronic circuit breakers; an easy to install
waveform recorder device that simply plugs into an existing test
kit jack; and, providing for a simplified interface to the
electrical distribution network for monitoring, capturing and
preserving phase current data.
While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary
embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that
various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for
elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention.
In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular
situation or material to the teachings of the invention without
departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is
intended that the invention not be limited to the particular
embodiment disclosed as the best or only mode contemplated for
carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include
all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been
disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although
specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise
stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for
purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not
being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second,
etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms
first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from
another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not
denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of
at least one of the referenced item.
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